


Carlos never helped a friend in trouble

by Saltylocks



Series: Carlos the scientist [19]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eggpreg, M/M, Mpreg, Parenthood, Science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-02
Packaged: 2018-02-27 22:28:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2708996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saltylocks/pseuds/Saltylocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Families are difficult, sometimes</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carlos never helped a friend in trouble

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, sorry there's no pr0n in this, just fluff. 
> 
> Next chapter is the second egg-laying though, so you have that to look forward to!
> 
> I forgot to add the part I dedicated to NightValeMushroomfarmer, so I added that in as a second chapter to part 16. There's lots of tentacles in that, if that's your cup of tea.
> 
> and hey,
> 
> thanks.
> 
> Edit: thanks to letssendacountrysomecupcakes for pointing out my typo's. They are all changed now.

Carlos grunted as he pressed up the stairs to the Lab. Around him, two very similar girls runned up and down the stairs, giggling shyly at each other. 

“Come on Papa!” Skyler said, her white eyes frowning. “Can't you walk any faster?” 

“Skyler, stop that,” Carlos said with as much authority as he could while being out of breath. “I'm carrying your little brothers and sisters too, remember?” 

“Aren't they coming out soon?” Hazel said and stood next to Skyler. “I hope they are all girls, brothers are the worst.”

Skyler smiled at her as Carlos heaved himself up. He was happy his daughters got a long even though they had been separated for so long. Skyler ran first and Hazel followed as they entered the Lab, Skyler wearing one of Janice's old dresses with flowers and Hazel in a pair of jeans and striped t-shirt.

“Hey guys,” he greeted as he entered the work area. 

He was met by surprised grins and enthusiastic waves as the team took in the girls. Jane was the first to push her goggles up in her hair and slid of her chair. 

“Who are these lovely young girls?” she asked as she hunched to shake their hands.

“I'm Skyler and this is Hazel,” Skyler said. “We are just visiting.”

Jane smiled and offered to show them around. Carlos nodded his thanks. He wanted to see how his colleagues were doing after the latest incident, and they seemed fine, very focused. Jane showed the girls one of the less harmful experiments and Caitlyn slid up next to Carlos as he watched them.

“Who's children are they?” she demanded. “One of them kind of look like Cecil but they both mostly looks like you. Have you two been... experimenting?”

Carlos turned slowly to look at her. She looked pale, her eyes blown, lips full and red. Paradoxically, her hair and clothes laid perfectly on her, almost too perfect, not a single hair out of line.

“Nice to see you, Caitlyn,” he said, a little nervous and fully prepared to grab her daughters and run in case the scientist was going feral again. “They are my kids. And we got a mayoral apology, so please calm down.”

Caitlyn took a deep breath and nodded, like she was catching herself. She still stared at him.

“You didn't answer my question,” she pointed out. “Was it an experiment?”

She looked starved, Carlos realized, hungry for information and something to do. Like the peculiar town of Night Vale wasn't enough to jolt her interest anymore. He worried about her then, about all of them. Jane and Jake seemed to at least be able to lean on each other, Jake joining Jane in playing with his daughters and touching her back in a comfortable way.

“Can we talk in private?” he asked, and his fellow scientist nodded, with a surprised raise in her eyebrows.

“How are you holding up, Cait?” he asked as the door was shut. Carlos leaned back in his office chair and sighed at how good it felt to get some pressure of his swollen feet.

“Normal, I guess.”

“Normal?” Carlos smiled. “In Night Vale?”

“Yeah. I mean, I go to work, I go to spy on the City Council. Then I come back here to sleep and eat non-wheat products. It is by no means the life I imagined but I don't feel unsafe or anything. And we make a difference here, which is what I always wanted.”

Caitlyn shrugged. She glanced back at Carlos, followed his plump frame, and leaned forward across the desk.

“I remember things, too. I remember that you didn't always belong here, but you have managed to find a life, and meaning. It...it frustrates me, because I feel I am unable to. I just wish I could find a nice guy, like you have, and be a part of this town as well. I'm willing to experiment, like you have, I'm just so tired of being an outsider.”

Carlos listened intently. He wasn't sure if it was a good this that Caitlyn remembered the time before the reset or not, if it meant she was turning feral or simply acclimatizing.

“I don't see myself as an experiment, but I guess you have a point. What about Jane and Jake?” Carlos asked. “Aren't they outsiders too?”

“Oh please,” the scientist sighed and started pacing the room. “You must have noticed how they look at each other? They don't care anymore, they have built a fort of their own emotions and fears. I don't mean they aren't still good scientists, they are doing their job and all, but they only have eyes for each other. Do you have any idea what that's like to see, every day? Huh?!”

She stopped and impatiently slammed her fists down on the metal table between them. Carlos hands immediately went to his stomach, protecting his young. Caitlyn blinked and took a deep breath.

“You are pregnant again, aren't you?” she accused, bitterly, and sat back down in her chair. “I remembered you looking slimmer when you arrived, although now it seem you always have a big stomach. You carried those two as well, out there?”

“Yes, Caitlyn, I did.”

Carlos didn't know what else to say. Caitlyn sighed, holding her palms up in a submissive gesture.

“I didn't mean to shout. I am just so... frustrated, I guess, it feels like life isn't moving anywhere. I mean no offence, especially not against you and your girls. They are lovely, very cute.”

She looked pained, that was what Carlos saw. He was really worried about her. 

“Listen, you shouldn't be alone right now. Why don't you come by the house tonight? We'll cook you something. It will be really relaxed.”

“That actually sounds... nice. Thank you Carlos. Are you sure Cecil won't mind?” 

Carlos thought Cecil definitely would mind, but he couldn't leave one of his fellow scientists like this, looking so lost.

“Let me deal with Cecil, you just come along and have a good time with us.”

^ ^ ^

“One of the scientists?” Cecil yelled on the phone. “Are you out of your mind?!”

“Her name's Caitlyn, and I think she's having a crisis,” Carlos quietly explained over the phone.

“She might be expiring again,” Cecil complained. “She might be a danger to us and the girls!”

“Oh yes, which is why you should be there too, so we won't be in danger.” 

“Then why invite her in the first place, if she's so unstable?” Cecil sounded like he was pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Because she's not happy, she feels isolated and I think it would do her good.”

Carlos could hear Cecil sigh, but when he spoke again, there was a smile in his voice. 

“You are way too nice, it really shows you are not from Night Vale. My warm-hearted, wonderful scientist.”

“I love you too, you cold hearted Nightvalian,” Carlos laughed.

“Hey,” Cecil said, a fond tone in his voice. “The weather is over soon, see you tonight.”

“I'm inviting Steve too,” Carlos said, and hung up before Cecil could start to argue against it.

^ ^ ^

“Thanks for having us,” Steve chimed, handing over a potted plant to Carlos as he and Janice stepped inside their house. “You know, I haven't been in here since me and Janice's mother got married.”

Steve's eyes glossed over for a moment as Janice called for Skyler and Hazel who greeted her and ran upstairs together. Carlos inspected the plant but it seemed like a normal geranium. He placed it on the window sill, high enough for the books not to reach on their nightly excavations.

“Thanks Steve, the flower is lovely.”

“Hey, no problem! Can I help with something, the food maybe?” 

“You can ask, but I think Cecil wants to do it himself. Why don't you just grab a beer and...”

There was a knock on the door, before Caitlyn let herself in. She was more casually clothed in a brown hoodie and jeans. She smiled at Carlos and then met eyes with Steve who stood awkwardly behind the door she had opened. Caitlyn's eyes widened a little and her mouth fell open for a second, before clearing her throat and smiling widely.

“I thought there were just going to be you and the family, Carlos?”

“Oh, um, yeah, Steve is family too, he's Cecil's brother.”

“I didn't know Cecil had a brother, he never mentions him on the radio,” Caitlyn said, following Steve's body up and down with her eyes.

“He doesn't like me very much, 's all,” Steve murmured, blushing deeply.

Carlos smiled and patted Steve's arm.

“This is my colleague, Caitlyn Reynolds, and this is Steve Carlsberg," the scientist introduced them. "Let me get you two a drink, you can sit down in the living room. Steve, show Caitlyn where it is, will you?”

Steve just nodded, fidgeting and blushing.

“I'll be right back,” Carlos nodded and slowly backed into the kitchen. When he was out of sight from the hall, he did a little victory dance. 

“Carlos?” 

Cecil stood in a white apron with “Kiss the cook!” written on it. In his hand were a wooden spoon he used to stir-fry a pot of vegetables. His eyebrows were raised and Carlos gave him a kiss on the nose.

“Something great just happened,” the scientist whispered with a wide grin.

“What is that, dearest?” Cecil said and kissed him back.

“Can't tell you yet,” Carlos smiled. “Not until I know what it means. How is the ratatouille coming along?”

^ ^ ^

Dinner was nice, interrupted only when Hazel and Janice argued about who should be able to sit next to Caitlyn because Caitlyn apparently was the best at braiding hair. Cecil had to volunteer Carlos as first for it to end, which made Hazel pout a little and Skyler look sad. Janice screamed she wasn't interested anymore and after that Steve had to raise his voice to make everyone calm down because all the ruckus surely couldn't be good for Carlos' babies and that he had been through a lot and Steve sure wasn't “going to lose anyone else to childbirth”. 

Everyone immediately grew quiet and even Cecil looked sympathetic. The rest of the meal was a shameful quiet and the three girls then respectfully asked if they could be excused from the table and then there was just Steve, Caitlyn, Carlos and Cecil. 

“Sorry for bursting like that,” Steve said with remorse, “I got a bit carried away, I guess.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Carlos said, which made Cecil snort, “I'm happy you were thinking about me.”

They played Scrabbles, which ended up a tie between Caitlyn and Steve, and Steve genuinely laughed when he was beaten by Caitlyn laying the last letters of the bag and winning. He patted her hand and congratulated her, before self-consciously looking around and standing up.

“Janice has scout training tomorrow so we should get going. But I'd like a rematch next time, science lady.”

“Anytime, Steve,” Caitlyn said, smiling like a sunset. “I ought to be going too.”

The homeowners said goodbye to their guests in the hallway and watched Steve carry Janice on his back as they and Caitlyn matched steps down the drive.

“That went quite well, I think,” Carlos said.

“It would have been better without Steve,” Cecil automatically responded. 

“Nonsense,” Carlos said, and grinned. “Now how long do you think it will take?” 

“For what?”

“Before they get together?”

“S-Steve and your lady scientist friend?” Cecil gasped. Then his eyes narrowed. 

“You _planned_ this!” 

“Not at all, it was just a happy coincidence, she got one look at him in the hallway and that was it.”

“How do you know? They might just be friends.”

Carlos smiled and leaned in towards Cecil.

“Because she looked at him the way I look at you, like something edible.”

Cecil practically melted into Carlos, returning the kiss deeply.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoy this and want to make my heart swell up like a balloon and burst out of my chest cavity, please consider leaving a comment and/or kudos<3
> 
> That would be cool of you.


End file.
